Lancastrian presence increases as new look Offshore onboarded

Lytham St Annes’ seafront was lit up by The Inn Collection Group this weekend, as their latest pub with rooms, Offshore, debuted in the latter half of the coastal twin towns.

The brand-new venue was declared open by “After the Flood” and “Coma” actor Jonas Armstrong with a ceremonial ribbon cutting at noon on Friday before an early surge of visitors became the first to sample the multi-million-pound renovation first-hand.

Popping behind the bar, Armstrong pulled one of Offshore’s first pints before he joined the brisk lunchtime trade that enjoyed delicious delights from the menu that includes sumptuous homemade pies, “proper” fish and chips and a refreshing seafood linguine.  

Celebrating the best traditions of the British seaside a host of vintage fairground attractions were in place on Friday and Saturday before the venue was bathed in a colourful light display once dusk fell over its opening weekend.

Ideally placed on St Anne’s South Promenade, Offshore is The Inn Collection Group’s largest property by number of bedrooms, with the stunning redevelopment of the old Lindum and Carlton hotels, creating an incredible 98-bedroom site.

Overlooking St Annes Pier with the Ribble Estuary beyond and two miles south of Blackpool, the original Lindum Hotel was the group’s first site purchased in Lancashire and was bought from operator HY Hotels in November 2020.

It had previously been operated by Peter Rowley and his family for more than 60 years, with his daughter Amanda Trott one of those who enjoyed an exclusive sneak peek prior to the opening on Thursday afternoon.

She said: “Offshore looks great. It is totally different to what it was originally. but I love all of it and I’m looking forward to coming in, testing it out and having some food and drink soon.

“We obviously have many, many family memories having the Lindum as part of our family for so long, but it is very exciting to see the vibrancy of the new Offshore and it will be very exciting to see how it progresses business-wise.”

Extensively remodelling and refurbishment has given a new lease of life to a building that dates back to the Victorian era with the venue unrecognisable from its previous configurations.

Adapting to the pubs with rooms style of hospitality synonymous with The Inn Collection Group, the ground floor spaces have transformed into a warm, welcoming, family-friendly pub.

Boasting 250 covers inside, a large outdoor seating terrace compliments this capacity and maximises the venue’s shoreline location.

Enabling Offshore to meet the demands of a pub-style food menu, a fully reworked kitchen has also been delivered, with state-of-the-art equipment installed, including a frying range allowing it to serve chip shop favourites with the traditional taste.

The revamp has also seen the full refurbishment of all bedrooms, along with additional inventory created by the construction of a ground floor extension.

Speaking as the pub opened its doors for the first time, The Inn Collection Group’s head of projects Michael Coulthard said: “It's fantastic to have Offshore back and reopening.  It has been an extensive project to bring the site back to life. It has taken time to complete, but we are delighted with the results and look forward to having it serving the towns of Lytham and St Annes.

“The transformation from hotel to pub has seen a lot of work carried out in changing the downstairs spaces and kitchen areas, but there has been some reconfiguration of the rooms side too, with additional ones created and a new lift installation in the old Lindum side of the building.

“The whole thing has been pretty much rebuilt with the exception of some of the structure and that has brought areas that had become almost redundant back into use for things like staff rooms and food preparation.

“That’s an exciting part of the job and I’m looking forward to seeing Offshore enjoy a new lease of life.”